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"Vital U.S. Energy Data Held Hostage By Budget Fight: EIA"

"The U.S. federal budget fight might prevent a timely study of the country's new energy bonanza, a senior official said, and stands in the way of data that could help ease volatility that is costly to energy companies and traders alike."

"New production of shale gas in Pennsylvania and petroleum in the Dakotas is already shaping policy, but the country's energy study agency is not collecting timely and thorough data from those reserves.

'I think it would be really good for policy makers and the public to know what's going on now,' Adam Sieminski, head of the Energy Information Administration said. 'Particularly given the swiftness of the changes taking place.'

The agency's budget will be slashed 8 percent to $96 million next year if Congress does not dodge broad automatic deficit cuts at the end of the year."